The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1
The Name of the Wind
by Patrick Rothfuss
Contents
CHAPTER TWENTY Bloody Hands Into Stinging Fists
Overview
Kvothe arrives in Tarbean with Seth and Jake, but refuses their offer of shelter to avoid confronting his trauma. Lost in the city, he is assaulted by street boys led by Pike, and his father’s lute is destroyed. After the City Watch disperses them, Kvothe is robbed, misses his ride, and spends his first night homeless, beginning years of hardship in Tarbean.
Summary
Kvothe arrives with Seth and Jake at a bustling market in Tarbean. When Seth kindly offers work and a home, Kvothe, fearing the pain of explaining his past, refuses and flees into the crowded streets. He quickly becomes lost in the city’s alleys.
In a narrow, filthy passage, three street boys led by Pike seize Kvothe. As the boys bicker, Pike discovers Kvothe’s lute. Kvothe lunges to recover it, but Pike overpowers him, slamming Kvothe into a wall. Kvothe bites Pike in desperation, provoking a brutal beating.
Thrown to the ground, Kvothe lands on his father’s lute, crushing it. The shattering of the instrument reopens his grief, and Pike continues to kick him until the City Watch’s shout sends the boys fleeing. Kvothe blacks out.
He wakes to a drunken man rifling his pockets, who steals Kvothe’s scant coins despite claiming to have saved him. Kvothe resets his broken nose and gathers his scattered belongings, including Ben’s book, then limps back toward Seaward Square, hoping to find Seth and Jake.
By nightfall, the farmers have gone. Hungry, injured, and exhausted, Kvothe drinks from a trough and attempts to sleep near a bookshop, only to be driven off by the owner. He curls behind crates in an alley, spending the first night of what will become nearly three years living on Tarbean’s streets.
Who Appears
- KvotheArrives in Tarbean, refuses help, is assaulted by street boys, his father’s lute is destroyed, and he spends his first homeless night.
- PikeStreet tough who leads the attack on Kvothe and helps destroy the lute.
- SethKind farmer who offers Kvothe work and a home in Seaward Square.
- JakeSeth’s son; supports the offer to take Kvothe in.
- LinOne of Pike’s boys; mocks a companion and helps scavenge the broken lute.
- Religious boyPike’s companion who warns against blasphemy and later tries to salvage lute parts.
- City WatchmanShouts at the assailants, prompting them to flee.
- Drunken thiefSearches Kvothe’s pockets after the beating and steals his few coins.
- Bookshop ownerDrives Kvothe from the doorway when he tries to sleep there.